Improvement in pelting-machines



UNITED STATE-s PATENT Germn.

ENOOH VAITE, OF SOUTH NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FELTING-MACHINE-S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12,61 l dated May 3,1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ENooH WAITE, late of Lawrence, but now residing atSouth Natick, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improved Machine for Manufacturing Felt or FeltedFabrics; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in thefollowing specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, ofwhichl Figure lis a top view, Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations, andFig. 4 a longitudinal section, of it.

My present invention, with reference to that invented by me, and onwhich Letters Patent N o. 40,087 have been granted, and dated Septeinber22, 1863, may be said to be an improved machine, the nature of myimprovements consisting as follows, viz: In a combination andarrangement of a feeding-apron, feedrollers, a rotary beater, and anendless battingapron orroller and ahousing or case 5 also,inthecombination and arrangement of a pasting or eementing brush and itstrough with two carrying and drying rollers; also, in the combinationand arrangement of the pasting apparatus, the carrying and dryingrollers, and the receiving beam or roller, the whole being applied tofelting machinery madein manner and so as to operate substantially ashereinafter described; also, in a combination composed not only ofcarrying and drying rollers and an apparatus for applying a paste orcement to a sheet of paper, but of a set of felting aprons and platens,and a mechanism for making a fibrous bat and introducing it between thefelting-aprons, the whole being constructed and arranged and so as tooperate substantially as hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, A denotes the frame of the machine, it being suitablyformed for supporting the operative parts or mechanism, to behereinafter explained.

At or near the rear part of the machine is an endless4 feeding-apron, B,supported by two rollers, et b, the shaft of the inner of which has agear,`c,f1xed on one end of it, and a driving-pulley, d2, applied to itsopposite end. The said gear c engages with another gear, d, which in itsturn engages with the lowermost of two gears, e f, affixed,respectively, on the shafts of two iiuted feedrollers, C C', which arearranged just in advance of the feeding-apron B.

In front of the said feed-rollers there is a rotary beater, D, which iscomposed of a cylinder, g, supported by a shaft, and a series of bladesor wings, h 7L h L, extending from the curved surface of the' cylinderland in radial directions from its axis.

There is a curved case or housing, E, eX- tending around the cylinder,and having long horizontal openings t k, one being in front and theother in rear of the beater, as shown in Fig. 4. I

`In advance of the beater is an inclined endless batting-apron, F, whichis carried by two rollers, l m, the shaft of the rearmost of which hastwo pulleys, n o, fixed on it. Around the inner of these pulleys and thepulley d2 of the feeding-apron an endless belt, n2, travels. So, also,around the outermost pulley of the pair n o, and the pulley p, fixed onthe shaft of tle rotary pasting-brush N another endless belt, g, runs.

Immediately over the said batting-apron (which is to be formed of acloth or material having open meshes) is a roller, G', which, acting inconjunction with the battingapron, serves to compress into a bat anddeliver or move forward the fibrous material, which may be thrown by thebeater upon that part of the endless batting-apron which may project inrear of the said roller and underneath the upper portionof the case orhousing E.

1n front of the batting apron is a felting apparatus or Vmechanismcomposed of two endless aprons, G H, and certain stationary and movableplatens, I K L M, arranged with respect to one another,as shown in Fig.4 of the drawings. The two lower platens are stationary in the frame A,and serve to support the upper part of the lower apron, H, which passesdirectly over both and has them eX- tended laterally' through it. Theupper two, or the movable platens, pass through the apron G, and whenthe machine is at work are to vibrate, or each is to have a shortreciprocating horizontal motion imparted to it. Each of the platensshould be hollow, or contain, a chamber for reception of steam or heatedair, or other proper means of applying heat to the platen.

The upper apron, G, is supported by and ens short and quickreciprocating travels around three rollers, r s t, while the lowerapron, H, works around two other rollers, u c, the whole being as shownin Fig. 4. The foremost of the two rollers (via, those marked t and c)are for driving as well as supporting the aprons G H, and they areconnected by gears w x, fixed on their respective shafts y e. Theendless felting-apron, as well as the batting apron, are to travel atthesame rate of speed.

Besides the gear .r on the shaft z, there is a worm-gear, c', whichengages with an endless screw, b', cammed by an inclined shaft, c', onwhich is another worm-gear, d. This latter gear d engages with a worm orscrew, e', fixed on one end of adriving-shaft,f, on whose opposite endis a driving-pulley, g, about which and a pulley, h', on the shaft ofthe rotary beater D, an endless crossed belt, i', runs.

The two upper platens are connected with four eccentrics (fixed on theshaft f by means of four connecting-rods, 7c k k k', the same being sothat while the shaft may be in revolution it, by means of the eccentricsand connecting-rods, shall impart to the upper platmovements in order tocause them to effect the felting together of the fibers of the bat,which may be between the aprons running between the felting platens.

On the shaft z of the roller i; there is a pulley, l', around which anda pulley, m', ixed on the shaft of the rotary pasting-brush N, anendless belt, a', travels. The rotary brush travels within a trough, o,for holding size or paste. Furthermore, the belt n also runs around apulley, p', fixed on the shaft of the rearmost of two hollow carryinganddrying rollers, P Q, which, with the pasting-brush N, are arrangedtogether and with respect to the two felting-aprons G H, as shown in thedrawings. These rollers should be heated by steam or other suitablemeans, and they are connected by gears 1" s', applied to theirrespective shafts and engaged with one another.

Over the drying-roller Q, and revolved byit, is a beam or roller, It,whosejournals t t are arranged in vertical grooves u of two standards, aof. There is also, down alongside of the paste-trough, a roller or beam,S, on which a roll of paper, T, is wound. The machine not only makes thefelt in a long roll or sheet, but applies and pastes or cements to oneside or surface of it the roll or sheet of paper T. For ys purpose thesaid sheet T is led from the eam S against the periphery ofthe pastfing-brush, and between the same and a guidingroller, w', arranged withrespect to the paste-trough O, as shown in Fig. 4. From thepasting-brush the 'sheet of paper is forced upward to the rear part andover the top of the drying-roller P, where it meets the web oi feltproceeding from the felting-aprons. With such web the paper passesbetween the two dryingrollers P Q and around the roller Q, and thence upto and about the beam It, which winds up the combined fabric of paperand felt as fast as it may be produced by the ma hine.

The operation of the machine may be th us described. The wool or fibrousmaterial or mate rials to be converted into felt are to be laid on theapron B, by which it will be delivered bctween thetwoiiuted rollers C C.These rollers seize it and feed it along to the action of the beater D,which, being put in rapid revolution in the direction denoted by thearrow x', (see Fig. 4,) beats it and throws it around within the housingor case E and upon the battingapron F. As the batting-apron F revolvesthe fibrous material thrown on it will be carried along underneath andbe compacted by the roller G', and will be introduced between thefelting-aprons G H. After being passed between these' aprons and beingfelted by them and the platens,the sheet of felted material is to be ledagainst the pasted side of the sheet of paper T, and with the said sheetof paper goes between the drying-rollers P Q, they serving not only tocompress the paper and felt together, but to dry the paste and give aIinish to the whole.

The employment of a beater instead of a picker, as used in the machinewhich forms the subject of the patent to which reference hashereinbefore been made, is advantageous, for the picker is liable tobreak and seriously injure hair, jute, or other fibrous material of longfiber when used with wool in making the felt, whereas the beater doesnot do this, and, besides, it breaks up the matted portion of the hairand more or less separates the dust and extraneous matters from it. Theendless batting-apron is preferable to a perforated cylinder, becausethe apron can be arranged to better advantage with respect tothe beater,and the web is better laid on it. The beater makes a greater draft ofair than a picker produces, and in consequence thereof lays the webbetter on the batting-apron.

I do not herein claim a combination of a picker, a perforated cylinder,or its equivalent, and machinery for 'eltin g, the whole arranged and soas to cooperate as described and represented in the specification of thepatent hereinbeiore mentioned. Nor do I vherein claim a machine orcombination composed not only or" machinery for making felt, but amechanism or apparatus for applying paste or cement. to a sheet of paperor the equivalent thereof when applied to felt in manner, and undercircumstances as described in the said patent. Nor do I herein claim acombination composed of afelting mechanism, a pasting apparatus, aperforated or wovenwire cylinder, and a picker, thewhole being asrepresented in the said patent.

What I claim as of my present invention is as follows, that is to say 1.The combination and arrangement of the feeding-apron B, the feed-rollersC C, the rotary beater D, the batting-apron F, the roller G', and thecase E, the whole being made to operate together and with felting apronsand as to be heated as described,) and an apparatus for applying pasteor cement to a sheet of paper, but of a set of felting aprons and plat'ens as described, and a mechanism for mak ing a bat and introducing itbetween the felting-aprous, the Whole being constructed and to operateessentially as and for the purpose or objects as hereinbet'oreexplained.

ENOCH VAITE.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. l?. HALE, Jr.

